Gresham men, Washington woman face federal child porn, abuse charges

Father, son and girlfriend accused

A 35-year-old Gresham man, his girlfriend and father have each been charged with federal offenses related to child pornography.

Authorities arrested James Lee Hickerson of Gresham on Tuesday, Aug. 26, after a Department of Justice magistrate approved criminal complaints charging him with receipt and possession of child pornography.

According to information presented at the detention hearing that followed his arrest, James Hickerson admitted to sexually abusing his girlfriends child in Washington and Oregon and taking screen shots of his girlfriend abusing her child while they were video linked on Skype.

James Hickerson made his initial appearance in federal court on Wednesday. If convicted of the pending charges, he faces from five years to 30 years in prison. He also would have to serve a minimum of five years supervised release and register as a sex offender.

James Hickersons father, 56-year-old Neil Lee Hickerson of Gresham, was charged in a separate complaint with possession of child pornography.

Because Neil Hickerson has previously been convicted of an offense relating to abusive sexual conduct relating to a minor, he is facing a sentence of 10 years to 20 years in prison, to be followed by a minimum of five years and up to life under supervised release.

Neil Hickerson also made an initial appearance on Wednesday and was temporarily detained, pending a detention hearing set for Friday.

A search warrant was served by officers at the Hickersons residence, leading to the charges against James and Neil plus Carolyn M. Knudsen, 28, of Camas, Wash., James Hickerson's girlfriend. She was charged in a separate criminal complaint with production of child pornography and aiding and abetting.

If convicted, Knudsen faces 15 years to 30 years in prison. She also would have five years of supervised release after serving her time and would be required to register as a sex offender.

Knudsen also was arrested Tuesday and made her initial appearance in federal court Wednesday afternoon with a detention hearing set for Friday.

All three cases will be presented to a federal grand jury and additional charges may be filed.

Law enforcement also placed the young child from Camas, Wash., in protective custody. The matter was referred to Child Protective Services in Vancouver.

This is a heartbreaking case, but thanks to the great investigators ... a very young child has been rescued from further sexual abuse, said U.S. Attorney Amanda Marshall. These offenses are insidious, and when exposed, are often met with shock and even disbelief. Sadly, these cases are all too common.